


One can't be trusted

by MustardPirate



Series: The world after he's gone [5]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-09 07:18:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12271587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MustardPirate/pseuds/MustardPirate
Summary: Kaneki meets his inner self and wakes up.





	One can't be trusted

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted a long ass fic so I cut it shorter and now I'm posting it (by that I mean this fic)

 

 A dark cave. No lights, only sounds. 

"Hello?" Kaneki shrills and waves his arms to find something to feel safer.

"yes?" someone answers near him.

"Who are you?" Kaneki still wanders around.

"You can call me Houston"

"....Houston? Really? Like, Houston, we have a problem?" 

"Very funny. Call me Big H then"

"Uhm... ok, Big H, where are you?" 

"Follow my sound, I'll keep talking"

"Ok" Kaneki locates the sound and starts walking there with unsure steps, he smells an odd scent and hopes that it's not coming from him.

"Hmm, questions? That should be a good start for us. Ok, me first, what's your name?"

"Kaneki" 

"I shall call you K then, so, next question-"

"What are you doing in here?" Kaneki interrupts.

"What? Hmm, good question; that's what I was thinking myself, so, idk. Next! Who was your first crush?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I just wanna know, that's all"

"Well, her name was Anna"

"That's a lie~ come o~n, make it fun!"

"I'm starting to regret I ever talked to you"

"Oh, don't be like that. Hey, let's not talk about it then, fine? ok! Hmm... What were you doing before you got here?" The voice is very near. 

Kaneki fumbles the air and finds something, a fuzzy hair.

"Oh, good, you found me"

"Are you sitting or something?"

"Yeah, come here, let's sit together!"

"I'd rather not"

"Come on, it'll be fun"

"No, it won't, I'm going to look for an exit"

"Hmm, that sounds like a plan, ok K, lead the way!"

"Which way have you tried?"

"I don't know. Hey, we should hold hands so we don't get separated"

"Umm..."

Big H grabs Kaneki's hand and follows behind him.

 

-

 

"It really echoes in here" Big H says and sneezes loudly.

"Fuck, don't scare me like that!" Kaneki tries to leave the grip to wipe his hand but Big H doesn't let him.

"What? Are you a germaphobic or something? We shouldn't separate" Big H wipes his runny nose with his other hand.

"No, I just don't like when others sneeze at me, it's your fault"

"Sorry sorry, won't do it next time"

"You better not"

 

-

 

"Is that a light? Shit! That's light!" Big H starts jumping and yelling.

"Just how long have you been here?" Kaneki still leads the way, now with an aim.

"Idk, maybe a long time, maybe a short time, can't tell the difference between day 'n' night, but please, move faster!"

Kaneki now takes big leaps and Big H still follows. 

A strip of light on the ground is like a path, it shines on Kaneki and it also shines on his companion.

For the first time Kaneki sees what Big H looks like, he looks like a carved white pumpkin that has dried up under the hot sun. His skin is saggy and eyes are like hollow holes in his head, his hair is messily tied on a loose ponytail, beard long as a walking-stick, and looks like he hasn't bathed in years, and most likely he is the source of the odd smell. He has a dark blue, worn out suit on him, it has tears and patches all over, and somehow he doesn't have any shoes. 

"Oh, that's why I didn't hear your footsteps" Kaneki looks at him and yanks his hand away.

"Oh yeah, I lost my shoes in there somehow, and never found them again" Big H doesn't seem too interested in Kaneki anymore.

They continue walking and finally arrive to the exit. It's a tall gap and outside there's a lot of plants and nothing else.

Big H takes a deep breath and extends his arms to embrace the world. Kaneki wonders what to do next.

"Which direction should we head to?"

"One direction,  _duh_ " Big H turns around to show Kaneki his face. His expression is really something that can't be described in words.

"Let's just go straight" Kaneki gives him a worried look and starts walking.

Big H looks at him and squints.

"I think we're better off separate" Kaneki states.

"No way, I'm gonna eat your body once you collapse" Big H claims with a smile.

"Same here"

"What? I didn't take you for a laddie like me,  _huh_ , I guess you can't judge a book by its cover" Big H opens his messy ponytail and combs through his hair with his fingers.

"That's not true in your case"

"Whaat?! that's just plain rude! I look like this because of the cave! Normally I would be dressed in a fancy suit and-"

"Yeah yeah, no one cares" 

"Hmph! r~ude!"

They glimpse at each other for a second and continue walking towards the unknown. 

 

* * *

 

"Aah! Finally! A village!" Big H yells as he runs towards the lights on the horizon. Kaneki follows.

They get to the wall that surrounds the village, a thick stone wall over 10 meters high, there's no way for them to get inside.

" _Ah! My chance!"_ Big H cries and falls on his knees.

"Let's just ask the guards first, I can do the negotiations" Kaneki walks past him and shouts to the guards.

"Let us in!" Kaneki cups his hands "We just need a place to stay for tonight!"

It's silent for a minute but then a voice replies:

"No, we can't let you in! It's too dangerous!" 

"We aren't enemies, we're just two travelers that need a place to stay!"

"No, it's not that! If we open the gates, the monsters might get in too!" 

" _Huh?_ What monsters?"

"Night monsters, we can't risk it, come back tomorrow if you survive the night!" The guard announces and the light he held disappears inside his watchtower. 

"I guess we're doomed then" Kaneki blurts out.

"You  _guess?_   _Hah!_  We're definitely going to die out here!" Big H yells and stands up to grab Kaneki by the collar.

"It's  _your_  fault I left the cave! It's  _your_  fault that we're gonna die!" He breathes out and some of his spit flies onto Kaneki's face.

"Let's wait here until morning comes then, it's already a night" Kaneki calmly explains.

" _Oh?_ You're right, it's night already. But that part about surviving... I'm not so sure about that"

"I have a card up my sleeve if something were to happen. But first, do you know anything about them?"

"Nope, never heard. You?"

"Nada, hey, could you let me down?"

" _Ah,_ okay" Big H lets go and sits down and leans against the wall. Kaneki sits next to him but keeps a meter between their shivering bodies.

"It's getting kinda chilly here" Big H pulls his knees against his chest and ties his arms around them.

"Yeah, and the sun has almost set behind the horizon too" Kaneki sits cross-legged and his fingers are crossed too like in a silent prayer.

"You should catch some z's and let me do the guarding for the time being" Kaneki gives him a side eye.

"Well okay, you're the boss. For now, try not to betray my trust"

"I'll try" Kaneki answers while the last rays of sunlight scatter around the air, leaving Kaneki's face red for a second before everything becomes engulfed in the void.

" _Come on_ , you can't convince me with that!" Big H laughs and for a moment it eases the pain, making both of their bodies warmer, and then it disappears, leaving behind only a drop of that warmth, the beating heart that still continues to pump blood through their veins.

"Goodnight" Kaneki whispers as his kakugan activates in the dark.

Big H's answer is a small grunt and after that he lays his worn out head down and goes to sleep.

 

* * *

 

The monsters have appeared. Kaneki stays quiet and observes.

 _'There's at least five of them, one is closer to us and shall be my guinea pig'_ Kaneki stands up slowly and takes a deep breath.

 _'Hmm? This is a forest-y scent, sweet scents, flowers, then there's the little murky scent, the trees, aspen? no, this must be birch'_ His steps are quiet and controlled like an apex predator's. 

 _'Five meters to 10 o'clock, firstly, I should test it out, his hearing abilities'_ Kaneki picks up a small rock from the ground and throws it to 9 o'clock's direction.

' _No reaction? Okay then, their eyesight doesn't seem too good and neither is their smell, otherwise they would've attacked us by now, hearing is also bad, or, if we're really unlucky, they are smart enough not to react to small sounds like that. But why aren't they attacking? Why have they come here? Why during night? Is it learned behavior? Do they just come here because they know here's food? Let's hope that's the case, otherwise this is bad.'_ Kaneki moves to the direction he threw the rock. The monster finally moves, it must have scales based on the sounds it's movement makes, it's footsteps are delicate, each step is well thought. There's also a slight dragging sound, it must have a tail or something protruding that could potentially be a weak spot.

Kaneki gradually forms his kagune, the spikes grow out with control so no sound can be heard. Kaneki goes closer, each time he moves his legs, he knows where the monster is. He tries to go behind it because that's where the tail should be located.

He strikes first. Rapid move and one of the spikes sink into the scales and through the bone. The monster groans a bit before it starts calling its friends with a loud shriek. 

' _Fuck Fuck FUCK! I FUCKED UP!_ ' Kaneki thinks but at least he knows that striking its tail slows it down because it hasn't made a move yet.

Then, before its buddies join it, Kaneki hears something, a fast, beating heart. A large organ inside a thick armor. 

' _Should I-? Yeah, I should'_ Kaneki wipes the remaining uncertainty off his face and gets ready for a real battle.

The monster suddenly moves and uses it claws to pierce through Kaneki. They have some affect on him, but only scrapes and scratches that will heal when given some time.

Kaneki goes by his instinct and grabs the monster with his hand and holds it to its place with his spikes.

"Now, let's find out which one is harder: my weapon or your armor" Kaneki chuckles slightly and a loud crunch spreads across the air.

The heart no longer beats. 

**"Now, what about the others?"**

 

* * *

 

"I slept quite soundly, wouldn't you say?" Big H scrubs his eyes and stretches his arms, his eyes try to adjust to the light around him, and when they have adjusted right and he's not temporarily blind anymore, he sees a truly horrifying sight.

Different kind of monsters lay on the ground, some are almost as tall as the wall and some are small like dogs, some have fur on them and some have scales, but only one thing makes them the same, each has their heart pierced. 

"What the FUCK happened here?!" Big H looks for Kaneki, he is sleeping under a furry beast that is at least triple his size.

"Hey, wake up sleepy head! Explain this shit to me!" He goes for a slap but is stopped by Kaneki's hand. 

"Are you awake? Hey! Can you hear me?!" Big H tries to yanks his hand away but Kaneki's hand stays firmly around his wrist.

"FREAKING MONSTER! LET ME GO!" Big H yells and squirms o the ground to get free. 

Then Kaneki slowly opens his eyes, they're unfocused for a long time and he doesn't seem to react to anything in any way, but he gradually becomes more aware. 

"What are you doing?" He asks Big H who still can't get away.

"What are YOU doing?! Let me go!" Big H yanks one more time and now Kaneki unlocks his deadly grip. 

Kaneki eyes the surroundings and doesn't seem too shocked about the monsters. 

"Did you do this?" Big H stands up and offers a hand which Kaneki declines, and crawls out himself.

"Yeah, seems like it" Kaneki's fingers go through his hair and wipe some sleep off his eyes before he marches to the gate.

"Open the gates!" He yells to the guards.

One guard leaves his watchtower and gazes down the wall. The early sunrise shines almost vertically and it makes the lifeless monsters' bodies more ominous. The guard is startled and backs away, he runs towards the watchtower and calls his buddies. 

"Victory to humankind!" one yells with the top of his lungs and the sounds echoes along the surrounding wasteland and to the monsters that lie asleep deep in the forest far away.

The feast and celebration of the new heroes begins.

 

* * *

 

"Hello hello, new heroes!" The king acclaims and crosses his hands in prayer to the gods.

"O two men who slayed monsters, the night monsters, whom terrorized our kind for so long, they freed us from these chains! The mankind can finally fight back!" The king cheers and raises his pint for a toast. Everyone in the village has gathered around and every cup and jar is raised for honor of the two unknown heroes.

Kaneki raises his glass a little but not with cheer but mere pressure of others "What do we tell them?" He whispers to Big H.

"The truth of course!" Big H raises his pint and bumps it against another pint that is held by a young woman. Then he gulps down most of the beverage and wipes the excess off his face with his sleeve.

"I can't tell it, I can't remember it" Kaneki insists and doesn't drink but puts the glass on top of the nearest table.

"What did you say?  _Come on!_  Don't lie to me! I'm your buddy!" Big H takes two paces towards the lady and drinks the rest from the pint and hands the empty glass to Kaneki.

"You don't get it-" Kaneki starts but notices that Big H isn't listening anymore but is entranced by the music and dance.

"Fine." Kaneki pouts, puts down the pint, walks away from the crowd, and sits down to worry.

Couple humans go past and even a cat. The sun is still high and the day seems to go slower than usual.

"I think they're looking for you" A young lady with brunette hair that has been braided onto one pigtail. She has a nice, soft face with squish-able cheeks and sharp eyes that look around like they were looking for something. 

"I don't want to go there" Kaneki admits and his head stoops over his knees. 

"You shouldn't hide your pretty face" She says with a friendly, sincere tone. She crouches in front of Kaneki and pets his hand that lays on the cold hard stone. 

"Don't touch me!" Kaneki pulls his hand away.

"Uhm, sorry. I didn't mean to be too... close" She moves a stray-hair behind her ear and sits next to Kaneki with a little space between them.

"Would you... would you like some beer or something? I can get you some if you want" She offers but Kaneki declines.

They sit there, in silent, for some time and look at the clouds moving.

Kaneki sniffs the air and the scent of human flesh is too great. He steals a glimpse. And another. The lady mistakes his behavior as flirting and tries to come closer. A row of teeth sink into her neck and rips a big piece off. She tries to scream but Kaneki shuts her with his hand. The lady turns her frightened eyes towards Kaneki and she doesn't see a man looking at her, she sees a monster, its eye, its teeth, sunken through her clothes and into her skin. 

She accepts her fate with hesitant thoughts and shuts her eyes, not to see the monster that devours her, to let her pass away without seeing the horrible sight that is laid before her eyes.

 

-

 

Kaneki is done, but the thirst for blood and hunger for human flesh still linger, now only stronger than before. 

"What do I..?" Kaneki drifts from one wall to another along the alley to the square. His kakugan and kagune are out in plain sight, if anyone were to see him, they would think  _he_  is the night monster, but the truth is that Kaneki is worse than those pesky night monsters, those cowardly things that have no power, nothing better than him.

**He is the monster.**

 

* * *

 

It starts with only one look and then it spreads like wildfire as the noises and chit-chat go mute, the cheerful faces turn into horribly twisted paintings, and eventually everything just stops, if someone were to drop a needle, it would be heard clearly like singer starting the opera. 

"Kaneki..?" Big H now looks at him, dressed in a new, blue suit, hair and beard trimmed to a reasonable length and waxed in shape, skin glowing and perkier like he was a vampire, and black new shoes covering his two cold feet.

Kaneki is dripping blood, and all over him is the smell of death. 

"Ka-kaneki?" Big H asks again, now more unsure if he should even open his mouth. 

Kaneki answers by sprinting towards the nearest townsman he sees and rips the head of that poor citizen and returns him to the location where souls gather.

 **"AAAAaaaaAaAaaaaaaAhhhhh!!!"** someone screams and it causes a chain reaction that makes people run to their homes or the nearest exit in sight. 

Big H stops, his two eyes look right into Kaneki, not even a bump can disturb him, he's like glued to that spot.

He asks again, but now with more straighter question: "What is happening? Explain!"

Kaneki looks at the townspeople as they run away and then he sees only one left, Big H.

Kaneki jumps up and extends his spikes to strike him, as they tear away the flesh from the bone, Big H still stands there with an expressionless face, looking.

Kaneki's hunger disables him to think. He eats first and thinks later. 

 

-

 

The meat in his mouth doesn't satisfy the hunger, it only grows and grows without stopping. No matter how many people he gulps down, he can't stop eating. 

A light hits his eyes, it's too bright that it blinds him. 

 

* * *

 

The same swamp scene, the same hooded figures. They just stare. 

"So, was that a dream or a..?" Kaneki asks but understands that they do not know no more than him, they are in his head. 

"No dream, no memory" One answers, unexpectedly.

"Then what?" Kaneki steps closer to the hooded figure but the plants in the swamp tie around his ankles and legs and stop him from moving.

"What even is  _this?"_  He struggles and reaches out with his arms, they, too, are wrapped in.

Before the hooded figure provides an answer, everything goes black. 

 

* * *

 

He hears ear-splitting sound that resonates inside him. Someone slaps him in the face, water is poured over him. 

"Wh....?" Kaneki's voice is dry and quiet. 

"Oh, look who's here, our favorite princess, the eyepatch" The voice sounds mocking "or should I say  _one eyed-king_ " He emphasizes the name like it was the name of a disgusting insect. 

"Hey, Jeremy, there's no time for that. Give him the dose and we're ready to go" A deep voice speaks, the accent is funny and some words are in different dialect than the others. 

"You're just a trainee, Bacon" Jeremy speaks.

"Don't call me by my last name, it's Kevin, Ke-vin!"

There's a little 'hmph' sound and then movements, fabric scraping something, some remote sounds echoing in the distance.

An itch in his arm that is most likely a needle.  _What are they injecting in him?_

There's a weird sound, like metal rubbing against metal.

"I told you we should've gotten the other cart, this one has the annoying wheel in it" Kevin complains and his voice is right behind Kaneki's head.

"This one's fine.  _Bacon,_ it doesn't matter that much if we're just going to move him to another location once in a while" Jeremy is right next to Kaneki's body.

"Was it to the room 301, the operating room?"

"Yeah, after that it's to the containment cell"

"Okay"

 

* * *

 

He can't speak, he can't see. Everything is just like from a nightmare. He feels his heart bumping in his chest, his lungs breathing on their own,  _no_ ,  _something is forcing the air in._

"So, organ recovery testing, right?" 

"Yes"

"Are the instruments ready?"

"Yes"

"Then we shall begin"

 

"The vitals are stable"

"I'm going to perform the first cut, Doctor Baum, you shall oversee this operation"

"Yes, Doctor"

"Brenda, give me the enhanced scalpel"

"Here you go"

 

There's pain in the abdomen, a sharp pain all the way from the right to the left. He is unable to move, unable to escape. 

Then something goes in, moves the organs around, picks one of his liking's, and cuts it right open. 

The pain makes his body shake on its own, it feels like the body is on fire but at the same time it feels as cold as the air on top of Mount Everest. It's numbing, but at the same time it gnaws on the inside and disturbs the mind. 

"Breathing is becoming faster, heartbeat is abnormal" 

Something cuts even deeper inside him, it scrapes the bone and everything is just uncomfortable in every possible way. 

"Liver was cut approximately 16:46, Brenda, turn on the timer"

"Yes, Doctor"

 

-

 

"It has slowed down quite a bit, last time it was four and half hours, now it's eight hours to fully heal. Should we inject another batch of the drug? it seems that the last dose is starting to wear off" 

"I will inform Jeremy"

"Good"

 

* * *

 

"I'm... back at the swamp?" Kaneki looks around. The hooded figures move around like they were dancing around him. The fog has now disappeared almost completely. 

"The- the question? Give me answers!" Kaneki slurs all of words, but the figures know.

"This place, an area where you near waking, that, where you were, no memory nor dream, inside" The figure points out to its head.

"Inside where? Head? Doesn't that mean it's just a dream?" Kaneki falls on his knees, the plants devours his lower body and he can't move an inch.

"No dream, you release one of seven, that deadly, but useful" It backs off and disappears. The other figures move around vigorously and seem more... stressed out.

 **"Hello"**  The familiar voice, the voice that he met in darkness, speaks to him.

"Big H?" Kaneki looks around but doesn't see him.

**"Yeah, well, I go with another name, more commonly know as Greed, but I guess I wasn't so obvious"**

"What? Greed? Like in seven deadly sins or something?" 

**"That indeed, hey, one tip: You will release us all, no matter what you try"**

"What? What does that mean?" 

**"You can't remember anything, nothing matters, and the sins will be free"**

"That doesn't make any sense! How could someone even  _release_  sins?"

**"Well, not everyone can, but you're special, or should I say, the drug they use is special"**

"Drug?"

**"Don't ask me, I wasn't the one who made it or injected it in you"**

"Can I reverse it somehow?"

**"Why should I tell you? At least now I get to control your body a bit, why should I bother helping you?"**

Kaneki looks at him and tries to settle down, he wants to punch him in the face and force him to leave, but he won't appear, and Kaneki is stuck anyway so it wouldn't produce a difference.

**"Oh, you're getting weaker and weaker, we're gonna die at this rate"**

"One thing I wanna make sure, are you a part of me or are you a part of something... else?"

**"Part of you, of course, you were the one to lock me inside that cave, I was weak back then but I have gained some power over the years"**

"When exactly did I seal you in?"

**"Hmm... when you were like, six or something? Everyone seems to lock the sins inside, but surely there's some who don't lock them at all, or lock only some of us"**

"How exactly did I seal you in?"

**"You're gonna try that technique on me, right? I'm not telling, but I can keep chatting, it was pretty lonely at that cave"**

"So, if I unlock every sin, then?"

**"You would become a monster without any boundaries? Isn't that obvious? And who wouldn't want that?"**

"You.. what do you even want from me?"

**"Hmm... I wan't to have everything"**

"That's not very specific"

**"It is if you know me"**

"Show yourself"

**"Yeah, no problem, it's just me allowing your brain to form an image of me, it's not _really_ me, but you know that, right?"**

Big H, aka Greed appears from within the hooded figures and shows off his new suit. Kaneki reaches out to touch the image but it fades as his finger comes in contact with it.

Greed looks down at Kaneki's hand and grasps it. Kaneki flinches as he feels the skin of the cold ghost arm touching him. 

**"It seems like it works pretty well. I can control your mind at least this much. But I can't wait to get the whole party out here, that'll be even more fun than this"**

Kaneki's eyes widen in horror as he realizes that he doesn't even fully control his own mind and a part of him, unknown part of him, takes control as it pleases. But what horrifies him the most is that he doesn't know Greed's limits,  _hell_ , he could be without any boundaries.

 **"Someone has come for you"** Greed looks at him. Kaneki looks around but sees nothing.

**"Dummy, _irl_ _! geez aren't you just a stupid lil' meat suit"_**

"How should I know! But how can I-" Everything turns black and the familiar ringing in his ears start. 

 

* * *

 

"...s!"

"...b....s!"

"BOSS!"

Kaneki wakes up. Warm arms hold him, they are wrapped around him. He sees a face, a worried, blurry face. 

"...lf?"

"Boss! Are you ok?" Bug's voice is loud and near his ear.

"Don't yell into his ear!" Rolf tightens his grip on Kaneki's thin arm and leg, Kaneki is carried like a princess. 

"So-sorry, Boss!" He apologizes immediately.

"The first thing we did when you ran out of the base was a group meeting. We will explain everything, but that's for later, now we don't have time" Rolf lifts his worried face and looks around and starts sprinting. Bug runs behind him but has some trouble keeping up.

"Kino! Do you hear me?" Rolf speaks, Kaneki notices that he has an ear bud on his left ear and a spiral cord leading from bud to under the shirt. He still has his bow necklace on, but now he wears a camouflage jacket. 

"The layout! Tell me where to turn, we have retrieved boss!" Rolf continues and Kaneki can hear a small sound that is probably Kino screeching from happiness on the other side of the bud, she then quickly reassembles her thoughts and gives directions in a fast pace, and fortunately Rolf is a good listener.

"Next turn is right, then left. Bug, can you check the corridor in the front?"

"Yes sir!"

"Rolf, What happened with Moth and Daymon?" Kaneki asks with his weak voice.

"Boss, you should rest now, I will tell you later when we get to the base"

Kaneki nods and accepts his answer for now. But he needs to know the situation right away when possible.

He closes his eyes and the world around him melts away.

 

* * *

 

 **"You're back"**  Greed says with a boring tone. It's playing with cards on a table that somehow floats above the surface of the swamp. 

"What are you doing?" Kaneki walks towards the table and a chair appears for him to sit in. Kaneki hesitates but sits on it anyway and it floats near the table, and now he's facing Greed, face to face.

 **"Killing time"** it takes a card from the deck.

**"Mind as well play, right? Poker, your turn"**

Kaneki looks at his own cards that float in front of his face. 

"You'll cheat, you know my cards"

**"Indeed I will, you're not a dummy one, I give you that"**

"I want new cards"

 **"Do them yourself"**  Greed flings his wrist and Kaneki's cards disappear.

"How?" 

 **"Idk, think?"** Greed talks like it's obvious.

"What? Should I think of something special or something?"

**"Cards, _duh._ Make them the ones you like"**

"Will you know my cards"

**"Idk, let's find out"**

"But if you knew, you wouldn't tell me, right?"

**"Just... the cards, ok?"**

"Ok ok, calm down" 

Kaneki thinks hard, but nothing seems to happen. Only the figures have come closer to look at what's happening. 

Kaneki's frowns and rubs his temples. One card appears, a black ace of diamonds with a red x drawn over it. 

"Why?" 

Greed chuckles  **"You can't play with _that!"_**

"Don't fuck with me!" Kaneki reaches out for Greed's neck but they drift apart. 

 **" _ah-ah!"_**  he moves his finger in a scolding manner.

 Kaneki gives him a mean look but doesn't get to keep it no longer than few seconds when he is dragged to the real world.

 

* * *

 

"....boss! They're onto us!" Rolf tries to say in a calm manner but his stress overflows.

"Where's Bug?" 

"He stayed behind to keep them occupied"

"How far are we?" 

"Twenty kilometers from base, I need to distract them, so..."

"I need to walk on my own? See you soon then"

"Go to that direction and try going around the church into the base, that should do it"

"Ok, got it"

"Oh, and one more thing... Moth is waiting, he will tell you everything"

"Excuse me? Moth?"

"No time to explain but believe him, he only wants the best for you"

" _Like I would believe that_ , but fine, I kick his teeth in first and ask questions later"

"Just listen to him" Rolf does a worrying look as he puts Kaneki down. He sprints away and looks behind after every few steps he takes,  _he hesitates to leave Kaneki on his own._ But he gives his final salute as he bravely leads the pursuers off the track.

Kaneki nods and answers his salute. He goes along the route as told. But his feet are like soggy spaghetti.  _He has become weak._

 

_-_

 

He finally collapses near the church, fortunately his kagune nor kakugan are out so he looks like a normal human.

 

The cobblestones on the road don't make a comfortable bed but it'll do for now, because all he needs is to rest his eyes a little.

 

* * *

 

"Are you okay, young man?" A priest says, his cross is hanging from his neck and a sincere face is written all over his face. 

He has moved Kaneki to the church, on top of the wooden bench that has been the seat of many whom have come to pray. But this is not a blessing nor a place of prayer to Kaneki, it's the space that judges him the most. If only did the priest know what he brought in. 

 

Kaneki's eyelids twitch but he doesn't have any power to move them much, his eyes are ajar. Now, even the heart seems to struggle as his head becomes lighter and lighter. 

The priest brings some water, towels, and some bread to him. One thing is useless, but his effort of saving a stranger seems more useless than the bread. 

 

* * *

 

 **"Wasn't your dream like, be dead or something?"**  Greed is still in the swamp, now surrounded by gold nuggets, coins and jewels, he is laying on a divan, deep green in color and texture is silky and smooth and it looks really comfortable. 

"Why am I here again?" Kaneki's feet are in the murky water and he cannot step to any platform to dry them out.

 **"Because you fainted. I told you, you are becoming weaker by the minute"** Greed checks his nails and files them shorter.

"Hm. I guess I am becoming weaker. But why didn't they kill me when they got me?"

**"They were testing you, I guess. Do you even know how much information they got out of you without you uttering a single word? I bet they now know how to destroy ghoulkind, all thanks to you"**

"But there are other ghouls out there, I'm sure they have tested them already, it's not my fault"

**"Maybe you are the only kind to have _a fucking ghoul part_ infused with you, they want to know how ghoul's body works, specifically how  _your body,_ works. So, now they must know how it affects the body and maybe they even isolated the ghoul cells in your body and got to know how to break ghouls"**

"Wouldn't it be a good thing if ghouls could turn back to human?"

 **"Uh, I don't think that's the point. They want to kill the ghouls, not heal them. And even if there was a cure to kill the ghoul cells, it would kill the ghoul too, if it was a full-ghoul, but you, it could potentially heal"** Greed conjures some chips in a fancy bowl and starts eating them.

 **"What would you give to taste this chip"**  He hold a chip between his fingers  **"and not throw up afterwards?"**

Kaneki's eyes are focused on the chip but he doesn't answer. It doesn't really need answering, he would give enough but not too much. Not so much that it would need killing someone.

"When am I gonna go back?" Greed continues eating and looks at Kaneki with a bored look.

**"You mean wake up? idk, maybe in a minute or maybe in an hour, don't ask me"**

"Can't  _you_  wake me up?"

**"I could kick your in the face and it wouldn't make a difference, and where such a hurry?"**

"I need to..."

**"Take care of your organisation? _oh wow, since when have you grown so fond of living?"_**

"And since when do I have to tell you?"

 **"You don't, I peek inside myself"** Greed smiles slyly and that causes Kaneki feel disgusted by him.

"Freak!" 

 **"Monster"** Greed keeps smiling with a self-satisfied look in his eyes.

 

* * *

 

"Young man! Are you awake yet?" The priest is standing next to Kaneki and beside him is a woman, dressed in a same kind of a formal style and she, too, has a cross on her chest.

"Here, have some bread" She offers but Kaneki pushes it aside. 

"Don't force it on him, Priest Layla" The priest says with a calm manner. 

Kaneki's stomach growls loudly and makes awkwardly long eye-contact with the woman. He resists his urges to bite into her hand, drop of sweat glide off his face and he bites his lip, enough to make it bleed.

"Father! Can I do something?" Layla turns to the priest and crosses her fingers in prayer and the movement is almost automatic, like it was a part of her personality and had always been there.

"Priest Layla, I'm sure you'll have your mission soon enough" The priest lays his hand on her shoulder in a fatherly manner.

"Young man" He says and releases his hand "what do you want to eat, the little we have, we can give to you"

Kaneki's eyes squint as he tries to think hard what to say.  _How can he politely tell him that he wants to eat a human?_

Kaneki knows that he's too weak, _even for a mere human_ , to sink his teeth into. 

"Water" Kaneki dares to ask, that is the only thing that comes to mind and it's also something that he can consume.

Layla leaves to get more water. Now it's only one human and one ghoul, in the same room and other's hunger raging inside and the urges leaking over his calm expression.

What is needed now, is a small push, and the teeth that now are hidden behind those lying lips will strike and dig deep inside the human's flesh that stands next to the ghoul.

The church is quiet in the late hours, it's lit by the hundreds and hundreds of candles that are placed all around the room. The smell of humans, the iron in their blood and the sweet aroma of the raw flesh that is under the wonderfully tough but still tastefully elastic and stretchy skin that gives the taste the chewy texture. Oh, and the tears that are like marinade on top of it all, the saltiness that crowns the taste to the extreme and also the bones inside the body,  _oh_ , the ribs and the meat around them, so tender with pure ecstasy. 

Another drop of sweat slides down Kaneki's face. He gulps and extends his arm hesitantly. 

"Hmm? What is it?" The priest comes closer to Kaneki's head to hear him out. The rhythm of the heart that ticks inside his neck, closer,  _closer..._

 

 

It's too much, he can't resist it, his hunger is like a monster of its own, growing steadily inside him, and it feels like it has been months since he last ate something. 

His hands go around the neck and the grip slowly tightens. The small sounds that the priest makes are like little reminders that he is in fact the monster that parents tell stories to their children, the same vicious look in his eyes, the same, pointy teeth that grave for the flesh, and the claws that shred humans to pieces. 

The blood gushes out where the nails pierce the skin, into Kaneki's mouth, some flow along his thin arms and to the bench. 

A thud and the sound of water splashing around breaks his peaceful moment.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" The scream echoes and Layla takes support from the door frame she came from.

Kaneki sits up with the body in his lap, it's bleeding promptly from the holes in the neck. Kaneki lifts it up and takes a bite so Layla can see the full horror show that's going on in the church. 

She leans against the wall and then, as her back scrapes the wood and her legs turn to noodles, she slithers down on the floor in terror.

Kaneki keeps eating and every now and then he confirms that she is still there, waiting for her turn to be devoured.

 

-

 

He stands up and goes closer to her, he kneels down like he were to propose, and extends his hand to put some hair behind her ear so he can see her face clearly when she hurts and when the pain grows too high and she whines to stop. 

He lifts her shaking arm between their faces and then he starts eating. Her tears overflow and season her already tasty flesh even more.

But the best part is that she keeps looking without closing her or averting her gaze.  _She almost seems to enjoy being eaten._

 _Why?_ Kaneki looks deep into her eyes and stops eating. There's only a gaping hole in her arm but no other damage has been done. 

Her eyes are red and there are dried trails where the tears have fallen off. 

For some reason Kaneki decides to leave her be. 

He walks out of the church to realize it's pouring.  _Why hasn't he heard the drumming of the raindrops? Was he too focused on eating that the outside world didn't matter anymore?_

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Leader!" Kino stands up in excitement. Moth stays put in his chair and doesn't even try to do any gestures that would explain his plot.

"Moth! You have some explaining to do!" Kaneki points out to him but he doesn't even look at him, his head is tilted forward and his bangs have grown longer so they cover his face almost entirely, even his staring eye.

"Uhm... I can explain..." Azmith raises her hand shyly.

"Weren't you dead?" Kaneki snarls. Daymon takes a quick glimpse at her and then continues pouting her own way.

"Uhm...." She taps her pointing fingers together and tries to assemble her thoughts "...moreover, where's Rolf?"

Kaneki awkwardly avoids meeting her eyes and instead looks at the other ghouls in the room.

Daymon is in the corner of the meeting room, Moth is still in his chair and beside him is the empty seat, there's also one other empty seat that belongs to Bug but nobody seems to notice that. Kino is leaning on the table, her arms are crossed on her chest, and her black eyes have calmed down to their usual, kinda gloomy state. Stephany, the temporary leader of the nourishment section is also present, she has a sweet aura around her and cheerful looks but she doesn't try to make herself too noticeable.

"Should we save Rolf? Is he beyond saving?" Kino's lips move and they are now covered in dark red tint.

"Yeah, I think we can save him but it will be hard. But first, explain to me, why the FUCK is that thing still here?!" Kaneki looks at Moth, squinting and veins on his forehead popping.

Kino takes a deep breath "Moth and I both noticed that you weren't really into this 'organisation shit' so we thought up a plan for you to develop some interest in leading. But things kinda backfired because of  _someone-"_ Kino creates a mean look towards Daymon "-couldn't hold back their urges. So, the plan was to make me seem dead and also in that way, able to carry out our plan without you noticing"

"That doesn't explain Moth when he said he wanted to take my seat. Wasn't the plan to compel me more interested in this shit, why try to force me lose my spot?"

"If you were kicked out, then we thought that for sure if you had anything worth fighting then you would try to take it back. That way you would develop deeper bonds with us,  _or at least that's what we thought._  But Daymon came into the play, she wasn't supposed to be an actor nor even a sidepiece. But we needed to take her in, otherwise she would've ruined everything. So, we persuaded her to stage Azmith's death-"

"Why Azmith, she doesn't have anything to do with anything" Kaneki looks at her and she frowns her brows in disagreement.

"Actually she does, she was supposed to connect with other ghouls during her "AWOL" time, like, for example, people that would try to convert you back if the plan backfired completely and we would lose you completely. Of course, it didn't apply to the current situation where you  _ran off on your own_ _and got caught."_

"And what did you do?"

"I was also securing you safety for that time, and I was also designing the plans on how to make Moth take your place and for that, different backup plans. This process was supposed to take few months or even a year, depending on our situation"

"And how about Moth or Rolf, do they have any major roles in this?"

"Moth was a co-producer in the plans, he was also preparing plans for the organisation when you were gone and also he would make 'opportunities' for you to overcome him when he would be the leader. Rolf, however, wasn't all happy with our plan, he tried to make you dependent on his own way, sparring with you and conversing with you, but we didn't see anything else in that except a friendship that wouldn't benefit anyone else"

"So, did you try to stage his murder, or did you  _actually try to murder him_  and I interfered?"

"No, that was Daymon's freaky whim. I guess she just wanted your attention?" Kino looks at Daymon who is glaring at her. 

"Wanted attention?" Kaneki frowns "ok,  _fine, for now,_ " his look says to Daymon: 'We will have a long talk after this' "but what about Bug?"

"Bug? He didn't have any parts, not really. We didn't even tell him, I doubt he would be even capable of keeping a secret like this" Kino shrugs.

"Did you have any part in this?" Kaneki asks Stephany who hasn't really paid attention to the conversation.

"I was only asked to fill in for Azmith" She starts stroking Azmith's scalp with gentle sweeps.

"So, that was all? No bigger plans than this?" Kaneki looks kinda disappointed in them and goes to sit in his chair, putting his feet up on the table.

"Therefore, shall we end this plotting now?" He crosses his feet and lays his weary arms on the armrests.

"Sure, if you can take this seriously now" Kino sits on her place, everyone else sits down too, following her example. Stephany sits on Bug's seat, little uneasy about her place.

 

"Okay then, let's save Rolf, an while we're at it we save Bug!" Kaneki declares.

**Author's Note:**

> I guess I can now take a little break and write some random ass fics for a while and then continue this if there is more readers.


End file.
